The present invention relates generally to a board game and, more particularly, to a chess-like board game combining skill and strategy with the excitement of luck and chance. The board comprises eight rows and eight columns of playing sites, where the eight playing sites of a first row are imprinted with an alternating pattern of a first motif on a first background and second motif on a second background and the eight playing sites of a second row are imprinted with an alternating pattern of a third motif on the second background and a fourth motif on the first background. The remaining rows repeat this pattern. The game is played using chess-like pieces and a euchre-like deck of cards.
The background information discussed below is presented to better illustrate the novelty and usefulness of the present invention. This background information is not admitted prior art.
Chess is a board game for two players. It is a game that is especially prized for the challenges it poses. Chess is not a game of chance; it is bases solely on tactics and strategy. Although there are only 64 playing sites on the board and 32 playing pieces, the number of possible game moves that can be played far exceeds the number of atoms in the universe. Nevertheless, chess is a favorite of both young and old, beginners and advanced players. One problem chess poses, however, is that in order for the game to be fun, the player should be of an equal skill level. Many times, players would rather forego a game than play with an opponent who is too advanced or, conversely, who cannot offer a challenging game. Game players would appreciate a game that is as challenging as chess, yet one that could be played successfully by players of various levels of skill.
Chess is played on a square board having eight rows (called ranks) and eight columns (called files) of alternating light and dark squares, for a total of 64 playing squares. To begin the game, the board is positioned between the two players so that each has a light square at his or her right corner of the board as the player is facing the board. White always moves first and therefore has a slight advantage over black. Each player begins the game with 16 pieces, eight pawns, two knights, two bishops, two rooks, one queen and one king, that each can move in a defined direction (and in some instances, limited range) and each can remove other pieces from the board. The ultimate goal is to “checkmate” your opponent's king. In chess, when a player's king is placed in check the player whose king has been place in check has to block the check by moving a piece between the attacking piece and her checked king, moving to a space that takes the king out of check, or successfully capturing the attacking piece. When a player is in check, only moves that can evade the check, block the check or take the offending piece are permitted. When the opponent's king is in check and no move can be made that would escape from check, the opponent's king is said to be checkmated and the game is over.
Euchre, although not as popular, or well-known, as chess, is a game that has been played around the world for centuries. Conventional euchre is played by two pairs of partner players who face each other across a playing table so that the play, in clockwise order, alternates between the two sets of partners. Euchre is usually played with 24 standard playing cards consisting of an A, K, Q, J, 10, and 9 of each of the four suites. Five cards are dealt to each player in clockwise order, usually in groups of two or three cards each. The remaining four cards, referred to as the kitty, are placed face down in front of the dealer toward the center of the table with the top card turned face up. Any card of the suite designated as trump outranks any card of a non-trump suite. The highest ranking card in euchre is the trump jack and is referred to as the right bower. The second highest ranking card is the jack of the suite of the same color as the trump suite; this card is called the left bower. Remaining cards of the trump suite rank from high to low as A, K, Q, 10, and 9. In non-trump suites, the jacks are not special, and the cards of those suites rank from high to low as A, K, Q, J, 10, and 9. In euchre, naming trump is sometimes referred to as “bidding”. Upon bidding, a player asserts that his or her partnership intends to win at least three of the five tricks during that hand. A single point is scored when the bid succeeds, and two points are scored if the bidder takes all five tricks. A failure of the bidding partnership to win three tricks is referred to as being euchred and is penalized by giving the opposing partnership two points. A bidder with exceptionally good cards can go alone, in which case he or she seeks to win all five tricks without a partner. The partner does not play and if all five tricks are won by the bidder, the winning partnership scores four points. The primary rule to remember when playing euchre is that one is never required to trump, but one must follow suite if possible to do so. Once the cards are dealt, the top exposed card of the kitty is offered as trump to the players in clockwise order, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer. If the player wishes the card's suite to become trump, he or she bids by asking the dealer to “pick it up” (referred to as ordering up a card). In this event, the dealer takes the card, adds it to his or her hand, and then discards one card, placing it face down on the kitty without displaying it to the other players. Once the bid has been made, play begins. If, however, a player does not want the upturned card's suite to become trump, he or she says “pass” or signifies the same by knocking on the table. The next player to the left may then choose the card as trump or may pass. If the upturned card comes around the table to the dealer without being ordered up by any of the players, the dealer may make a bid by picking up the card, adding it to his or her own hand, and discarding a card. The dealer may also decline the upturned card's suite by turning it face down on the kitty. Once a suite has been passed by all four players, it may no longer be chosen as trump. If this happens, the players are offered an opportunity to name any of the other three suites as trump, beginning with the player to the dealer's left. In this case, play begins as soon as a suite is named; no cards enter or leave the dealer's hand. A player may pass as previously described, and if the bidding comes around the table to the dealer without the naming of a suite, the dealer may name a suite. If he or she also declines to name a suite, the cards are collected, no points are scored, and the deal is passed to the left. The player to the dealer's left begins play by leading a card. (If the player to the left is sitting out the hand because his or her partner is going alone, the dealer's partner will lead.) Play continues in clockwise order; each player must follow suite if they have a card of the suite led. Remember that the left bower is a member of the trump suite and is not a member of its native suite. The player who played the highest trump wins the trick. If no trump were played, the highest card of the suite led wins the trick. The player that won the trick collects the played cards from the table and then leads the next trick. After all five tricks have been played, the hand is scored. The player to the left of the previous dealer then deals the next hand, and the deal moves clockwise around the table until one partnership scores 10 points and wins the game.
Although both chess and euchre are still played by many, game players frequently get bored when faced with playing the same game over and over. On the other hand, the time and effort involved in reading, understanding, and memorizing new game rules usually is enough to discourage players from playing a new game. This is especially true when the game has many rules or the rules are complicated. What would be greatly appreciated by game players is a game that is challenging and intriguingly interesting yet easy to learn.